The confirmed case was in a student who had a waiver allowing him or her to attend RPI without vaccinations for medical or religious reasons. But in an alert to the college community Saturday, RPI's medical director Dr. Leslie Lawrence said most students, staff and faculty would be immune, either from being vaccinated or from being born before 1957. The vaccination— called the MMR for measles, mumps, rubella — is given once after a person's first birthday, and then again between the ages of 4 and 6. Those who were born before 1957 had natural immunity after likely being exposed to the virus. The shot is required if one attends public and most private schools, unless a waiver is granted.

RPI last had a case of measles in 2011. The illness is a highly contagious respiratory disease that causes fever, cough and a rash all over the body. For every 1,000 children who get measles, one or two will die, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the disease has largely been wiped out in the U.S., it can still be easily contracted in parts of Europe, Asia and Africa if one is not immunized.

RPI has 14 other students who have vaccination waivers, and alerted all of them to the case. The student who has measles is currently under medical care and appears to be stable, Lawrence said in the alert.

"The student health center continues to monitor the situation, and is in close communication with the state Department of Health. We are taking all appropriate actions and precautions to minimize the risk of exposure for any other members of our community," said RPI spokeswoman Allison Newman in a statement.

RPI officials said if one is uncertain of their own immunization history, check with a primary care physician. Members of the college community can also call RPI's health center at 276-6287 with further questions.

Measles was declared eradicated in the U.S. in 2000. But last year the illness saw its largest spike since, with 189 cases reported. The 2013 outbreak was made up of 58 people who contracted measles within an orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn after an unvaccinated teen brought it back after traveling to London.